NVIDIA Quadro Visual Computing Appliance
Installation Guide
21 September 2016
Document version 1.0
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© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Document build number 277731
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NVIDIA Quadro Visual Computing Appliance — Installation Guide
© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation
Contents
1 Introduction to Quadro VCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.1 Description of the VCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 What’s in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.3 Community support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2 Quickstart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Quadro VCA specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.1 Hardware components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.2 Physical dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.3 Front panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.4 Power requirements and consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.5 Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.1.6 Acoustic profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.1 Operating system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.1.1 Operating system setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.1.2 Linux user accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.1.3 Linux security setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.2 Iray and the VCA Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.2.1 Directory layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4 Hardware installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1 Rack mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1.1 Setup location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1.2 Rack installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1.2.1 Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1.2.2 Installing the outer rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.1.2.3 Installing the box into the rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2 Connecting cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2.1 Keyboard and monitor for console access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2.2 Connecting power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2.3 Ethernet connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2.4 InfiniBand connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.2.5 Setup Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5 Software installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.1 System setup using Linux commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.2 System setup using the VCA Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.3 InfiniBand setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4 Software updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4.1 Listing currently installed packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4.2 Updating an existing installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.4.3 Installing new software packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.5 Iray Queue Manager setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.5.1 Installing Iray Queue Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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5.5.2 Starting the queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.5.3 Stopping the queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.5.4 Using Iray Queue Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.6 Factory reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.6.1 Creating a bootable thumb drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.6.2 Resetting the hard drives to the factory settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.7 Installing third-party software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.7.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.7.2 Setting up a third-party run script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.7.3 Updating the VCA Manager database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.8 Testing the installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.8.1 VCA Manager tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5.8.2 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 Warranty and licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation
1 Introduction to Quadro VCA
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1.1
Introduction to Quadro VCA
Description of the VCA
Accelerate design and VFX workflows with NVIDIA® Quadro® Visual Computing Appliance
(VCA), the fastest way to interactive, photorealistic digital 3D models and scenes. This is
a powerful network-attached appliance that harnesses the power of the highest-performing
NVIDIA GPUs. It’s accessible to anyone on the network, easily integrated into design workflows, and effortlessly scales to multiple VCAs to minimize the time to noiseless, physicallybased global illumination. This means that you can now deliver photograph-quality images
faster than ever before.
1.2
What's in the box
Be sure to inspect each piece of equipment shipped in the packing box. If anything is missing
or damaged, contact your supplier.
What’s included with your Quadro VCA:
• Welcome card
• Power cables (4)
• Quadro VCA (with rails for rack mounting)
1.3
Community support
The NVIDIA Advanced Rendering Forum (https://forum.nvidia-arc.com/) includes a
forum for the Quadro VCA user community. Go to this forum to post and to search for answers to your questions. Be sure to check out the useful tips and relevant product information
posted by the Quadro VCA engineering and product support teams.
© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation NVIDIA Quadro Visual Computing Appliance — Installation Guide
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2 Quickstart
2
Quickstart
This section describes how to to configure the hostname and the static IP address of the VCA.
Check the mapping of the network ports shown in the following figure before starting this
procedure.
Mapping of network ports in the VCA
Note:
• Installing a required driver: The first time you connect a machine to a VCA by
using a connection port, you are prompted to install a driver. After the driver is
successfully installed and the machine is rebooted, you can configure VCA
interfaces.
• Submitting settings: After you make changes to a section in the VCA Setup page,
you must click Submit. If you leave fields empty in a section, you must still click
Submit before continuing to the next section.
• Configuring network settings: You can configure all network settings from the
VCA Setup page or a Linux shell.
To configure from the VCA Setup page, the hostname, and the static IP address or DHCP
address of all network interfaces of the VCA:
1 Change the IP address of the external machine to 192.168.124.2.
2 Connect to the VCA Setup page:
2.1 Connect the external machine to the eth2 interface (marked in blue in the illustration) by using an Ethernet cable
2.2 Connect the eth3 interface to your local LAN.
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2 Quickstart
2.3 Connect a browser to http://192.168.124.10:14000.
Note:
• For more information about changing various parameters, see "System setup
using the VCA Manager" (page 14).
• If your network has a DHCP server running, the
eth3 interface is
automatically connected to it.
3 To change the network settings of an interface to a static IP address, use the network
parameter section of the Setup page:
3.1 Add a static IP address
3.2 Add a gateway
3.3 Add a network mask
If you are not sure what to enter, ask your system administrator.
Note:
• From this Setup page, you can switch an interface to a static IP address or to
DHCP as often as you want.
• If you do not want to change the network settings of an interface to a static IP
address, leave this section empty and click Submit.
4 To test the performance of the Quadro VCA, perform a render test by clicking Start Test.
5 After you have completed and submitted all sections, a Restart button is displayed in
the upper left corner of the form. Click Restart to restart the VCA Manager.
6 Set the IP address of the external machine back to what it was before (DHCP).
7 Reconnect to https://VCA-IP-address.
8 Accept the certificate warning.
9 Login to the VCA Manager again:
User Name: admin
Password: admin
Note: When you change the interface to a static IP address, the IP address of the
InfiniBand interface is changed automatically.
© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation NVIDIA Quadro Visual Computing Appliance — Installation Guide
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3 Quadro VCA specification
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3.1 Hardware
Quadro VCA specification
3.1
Hardware
3.1.1
Hardware components
Feature
Description
GPU
8 M6000-VCA
GPU Memory
12 GB per GPU
CUDA cores
23040
CPU cores
40
System memory
256 GB
Storage
4x 500 GB
Network
1x IPMI, 2x 1 GigE, 2x 10 GigE (SFP+), 1x FDR 56 Gbit / s InfiniBand
3.1.2
Physical dimensions
Feature
Description
Form factor
4U Rack mount
Width
18.2" (462mm)
3.1.3
Front panel
Quadro VCA front panel
The front panel of the Quadro VCA contains the power button as well as indicator lights.
Power button
• Press once to turn the system on.
• Press once while running to turn the system off.
• Press and hold while running to force system shutdown.
System Power LED
• LED on when system is running
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3.1 Hardware
3 Quadro VCA specification
Alert modes
• A blue LED identifies the system using the Intelligent Platform Management Interface
(IPMI).
• A red LED indicates a hardware error such as a power failure, fan failure, or overheat-
ing.
Color
Alert LED Behavior
Status Description
Blue
Off
Normal mode operation
Red
Off
Normal mode operation
Blue
Blink
On when enabled by administrator
Red
Solid
System component overheat
Red
1 blink per second
Power module failure
Red
4 blinks per second
System fan failure
3.1.4
Power requirements and consumption
There are 4x 1600W redundant power supplies. The power supplies can accept either 110V
(ac) or 240V (ac) input.
With all system resources under full load, the maximum power consumption is 2800W (at an
ambient temperature of 35◦ C). Idle power consumption is 350W (at an ambient temperature
of 25◦ C).
The following table identifies valid power configurations:
Number of working
power supplies
Max input
power per
power
supply
Max current draw per
power supply (amps at
2800W and 35C)
Worst case maximum current draw per circuit
(amps at 2800W and 35C)
120V
240V
Dual 120V/20A
circuits; 2 power
supplies per circuit
Single 240V/20A circuit;
all power supplies on
same circuit
Dual 240V/20A
circuits; 2 power
supplies per circuit
4 (Normal mode)
700W
5.8A
2.9A
11.7A
11.7A
5.8A
3 (1 failed supply)
933W
7.8A
3.9A
15.6A
11.7A
7.8A
2 (2 failed supplies)
1400W
11.7A
5.8A
23.7A
(overloaded circuit)
11.7A
11.7A
The minimal requirements for a VCA are two 120V/20A circuits with two power supplies per
circuit. If any single power supply fails, the system will continue to operate at full load.
A circuit overload can occur when:
• One whole circuit fails; or
• Two power supplies on the same circuit fail.
With a maximum of two failed power supplies, a single 240V/20A circuit will support the
VCA running at full load. However, a fully redundant system requires two separate 240V/20A
curcuits with two power supplies per circuit; this configuration can tolerate the loss of any
two power supplies or one complete 240V/20A circuit.
© 2016 NVIDIA Corporation NVIDIA Quadro Visual Computing Appliance — Installation Guide
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3 Quadro VCA specification
3.2 Software
Caution:
1 Do not attempt to operate the VCA on two 120V/15A circuits. Any single failure of
either power supply or circuit leads to an overload condition.
2 It is recommended that you keep sustained current draw under 80% of the peak
rating. For example, the sustained current draw of a 20A circuit should not exceed
0.8*20 = 16A.
3.1.5
Ports
Type
Description
VGA
Available
USB
2x USB 2.0
Ethernet
One IPMI Ethernet Port. Optionally, the IPMI port can
be used to monitor and manage the system, rather than
a local keyboard and monitor.
2x 1 Gb Ethernet Ports
Connection to 1 Gbit Ethernet network
2x 10 Gb Ethernet Ports
Connection to 10 Gbit Ethernet network
1x FDR 56 Gbit / s InfiniBand
Connection to a managed InfiniBand switch
3.1.6
Acoustic profile
Fan speed
Sound pressure level
Description
Optimal
72 dBA
The system is at full load
Full
83 dBA
Fans can set to full speed in the BIOS. Full speed can also
be triggered by the system.
Sound measurements were made in an independent laboratory. The ambient sound level was
21 dBA, which represents an empty office environment.
3.2
Software
The Quadro VCA comes pre-installed with the operating system, Iray and the VCA Manager.
Iray is licensed to run on the Quadro VCA only.
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3.2 Software
3.2.1
3 Quadro VCA specification
Operating system
3.2.1.1
Operating system setup
Type
Description
Base operating system
CentOS 6.6 (Final)
NVIDIA driver
346.35 with ECC turned off
Mellanox InfiniBand stack
OFED Version 2.4
Note: The system has no X server installed.
3.2.1.2
Linux user accounts
• There is one Linux user account on the system. Access this account either on the console,
or with ssh, as follows:
• Login:
•
iray
Password: Nvidia-Arc
• To login to the system to perform Iray or VCA Manager software updates, access the
system either from the console login or via ssh.
• To perform administrative tasks, use the
3.2.1.3
sudo command.
Linux security setting
The iptables application is enabled and running by default.
All ports are blocked with the following exceptions:
22
14000
443
11000
9090
Secure Shell access (sshd)
VCA Manager connection port
VCA Manager https port
Iray connection port
Iray HTTP administration console
SELinux is turned off.
3.2.2
Iray and the VCA Manager
The installed versions of Iray are:
• NVIDIA Iray 2014.5.3
• NVIDIA Iray 2015
The installed version of the VCA Manager is VCA Manager Version 231000.8180.
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3 Quadro VCA specification
3.2.2.1
3.2 Software
Directory layout
Iray and the VCA Manager are installed in the directory /home/iray. This directory consists
of the following subdirectories:
Subdirectory
Description
cluster-server-version-buildnumber
Iray 2014 installation
cluster-server-bunkspeed
Iray 2014 for Bunkspeed Zoom
cluster-manager
VCA Manager installation
cm
VCA Manager startup scripts and VCA
Manager database.
Note the following:
• The build number (buildnumber) consists of two parts, for example:
221133.2594.
For compatability, the Iray client version has to be identical in the first part and have an
equal or higher version number for the second part. For Iray 2015, the client finds the
correct server version itself.
• The VCA Manager database contains the user accounts for the VCA Manager. The VCA
Manager database is not overwritten when updating the VCA Manager.
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4 Hardware installation
4
Hardware installation
4.1
Rack mounting
This section provides instructions on how to rack mount and connect your Quadro VCA.
Following the steps in the order given should enable you to have the system operational
within a minimal amount of time.
4.1.1
Setup location
Decide on a suitable location for setting up and operating the Quadro VCA. The location
should be clean, dust-free, and well ventilated. Avoid areas where heat, electrical noise, and
electromagnetic fields are generated. Locate the VCA near a grounded power outlet.
• Leave enough clearance in front of the rack to enable you to open the front door com-
pletely ( 25").
• Leave approximately 30" (76.2cm) of clearance in the back of the rack to allow for suffi-
cient airflow and ease in servicing.
• Always make sure the rack is stable before adding or removing an Quadro VCA or any
other component.
• Keep the ambient temperature and humidity within the following ranges:
• Temperature: 10◦ C to 35◦ C (50◦ F to 95◦ F)
• Humidity: 8% to 90% (non-condensing)
4.1.2
Rack installation
4.1.2.1
Precautions
Caution: To prevent bodily injury when mounting or servicing the Quadro VCA in a
rack, you must take special precautions to ensure that the system remains stable. The
following guidelines are provided to ensure your safety.
• The VCA should be mounted at the bottom of the rack if it is the only unit in the rack.
• When mounting the VCA in a partially filled rack, load the rack from the bottom to the
top with the heaviest component at the bottom of the rack.
• If the rack is provided with stabilizing devices, install the stabilizers before mounting
or servicing the VCA in the rack.
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4 Hardware installation
4.1 Rack mounting
Installing the VCA in a rack
4.1.2.2
Installing the outer rails
1 Adjust the brackets to the proper distance so that the rail fits snugly in the rack.
2 Secure the rear of the outer rail with two M5 screws and the rear of the rack.
Note: The outer rail is adjustable from approximately 26" to 38.25" (66cm to
97.16cm).
3 Repeat steps 1-2 for the left outer rail.
4.1.2.3
Installing the box into the rack
1 Confirm that the VCA has the inner rails attached and that you have already mounted
the outer rails into the rack.
2 Align the inner chassis rails with the front of the outer rack rails.
3 Slide the inner rails into the outer rails, keeping the pressure even on both sides (you
may have to depress the locking tabs when inserting). When the VCA has been pushed
completely into the rack, you should hear the locking tabs "click" into the locked position.
Caution: Stability hazard — The rack stabilizing mechanism must be in place, or
the rack must be bolted to the floor before you slide the VCA out for servicing.
Failure to stabilize the rack can cause the rack to tip over.
Note: The rail assemblies shipped with the Quadro VCA fit into a standard 19" rack.
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4.2 Connecting cables
4.2
4 Hardware installation
Connecting cables
Quadro VCA connectors
Connector
Description
1
Do not use
2
10 GigE — SFP+
3
FDR 56 Gbit / s InfiniBand
4
Power
5
Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) — RJ45
6
USB ports for connecting a keyboard during initial setup
7
1 GigE — RJ45
8
VGA display output console
4.2.1
Keyboard and monitor for console access
A VGA monitor can be connected to the VGA connector on the appliance.
A USB keyboard can be connected to any USB port.
Note: The VGA monitor and keyboard are not needed during normal operation.
4.2.2
Connecting power
Four power cables are shipped in the VCA kit. Connect these power cables to either a 110V
(ac) or 240V (ac) outlet. A voltage of 240 is recommended for better power redundancy in the
event of a failure of one of the power supplies.
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4 Hardware installation
4.2.3
4.2 Connecting cables
Ethernet connection
The following network connection ports are available:
Interface
Description
ipmi
IPMI interface
eth0
10 Gbit Ethernet
eth1
10 Gbit Ethernet
eth2
1 Gbit Ethernet
eth3
1 Gbit Ethernet
Connect the network cables from the Quadro VCA to a data center network Ethernet switch,
using a Cat5, Cat5e, or Cat6 Ethernet cable.
Mapping of network ports in the VCA
4.2.4
InfiniBand connection
• Connect the Quadro VCA to the InfiniBand switch. The recommended switch is a Mel-
lanox managed 56 Gbit / s FDR switch (tested configuration: Mellanox SX6036). The
number of ports may be different depending upon how many Quadro VCA nodes are
connected.
• If only two Quadro VCAs have to be connected, no extra switch is needed. Connect
them directly with the InfiniBand cable.
• Use 56GB/s Mellanox Passive Copper Cables for connections up to four meters long.
56Gb/s Active Optical Cables from Mellanox should be used for longer distances than
four meter between VCAs or the VCAs and the switch. Part numbers are available from
the Mellanox website (www.melanox.de).
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4.2 Connecting cables
4.2.5
4 Hardware installation
Setup Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
1 Attach a VGA monitor and a keyboard to the VCA.
2 During boot of the VCA hit Delete.
3 The machine will stop booting into BIOS settings.
4 Select IPMI BMC Network Configuration Change and change it to yes.
5 Change to a static IP address, gateway and netmask.
6 To improve security, change the login and password.
7 Reboot the machine.
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5.2 System setup using the VCA Manager
Software installation
5.1
System setup using Linux commands
When booting and the Quadro VCA is connected on interface eth3 to local network DHCP
will be used by default.
A unique hostname is preset.
To change the default settings (hostname, IP address, default route), log in either on the
console or per ssh as user iray and run:
sudo system-config-network
This will modify the following system files:
•
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth<N>
•
/etc/sysconfig/network
•
/etc/hosts
Note: Contact your network system administrator to add the hostname of the Quadro
VCA to DNS.
5.2
System setup using the VCA Manager
Network settings can be changed from the VCA Manager interface if you are not familiar
with Linux.
1 Connect a second machine (for example, your laptop) to the configuration port eth2.
2 Set this second machine to any IP address from the 192.168.124.0 network.
3 Connect to http://VCA-IP-address.
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VCA Setup Page
A field must be submitted to activate a change. Any field may be used and can be left
blank.
4 The serial number of the Quadro VCA is displayed on the top left corner of the window.
Please follow the link to register the system.
5 VCA Pool name will change the name that is displayed when connecting with the VCA
Manager.
VCA Pool name
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6 Change administrator password of the VCA Manager (default is admin:admin).
VCA Manager admin password
7 Change network parameters for network interfaces to either a static IP address or a
DHCP address.
A VCA Manager restart is necessary when changing IP addresses. The VCA Manager
Restart button is displayed when all fields of the form are submitted.
Network setup
8 Start Test will test the rendering performance of the system. If the test runs successfully,
an image is displayed within two minutes.
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Restart VCA Manager
9 If the network settings were altered it is now necessary to press the Restart button.
This will restart the VCA Manager with the new network parameters.
10 Connect a browser to the VCA’s new IP address. Using the IP address or the hostname,
enter the following in the browser’s address input window:
https://VCA-IP-address
11 Accept certificate warning to get to the VCA Manager.
5.3
InfiniBand setup
The configured InfiniBand network is 192.168.123.0. The system comes pre-configured with a
random IP address from that network.
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5.4 Software updates
Running the VCA Setup procedure will alter that IP address 192.168.123.xxx, where xxx are
the last 8 bits of the chosen IP address for eth2. For example, if the static IP address is
172.16.0.214, the InfiniBand address will be set to 192.168.123.214.
InfiniBand is only used for internal communication between the Iray instances on different
nodes and does not need to be routed to any other network.
5.4
Software updates
This section describes how to upgrade an existing installation and how to find and install
new software.
Note:
1 For updates and installations, the Quadro VCA must be connected to the Internet.
2 When upgrading the VCA Manager on multiple Quadro VCAs (cluster), the VCA
Manager has to be shutdown before upgrading. It can be shutdown from the VCA
Manager tools menu.
3 If you use multiple VCAs in a rack, each VCA has to be updated individually.
5.4.1
Listing currently installed packages
To display a list of currently installed packages, run:
sudo yum --disablerepo="*local*" list installed "nvidia-vca*"
5.4.2
Updating an existing installation
Note:
• For Iray, the latest version number is always incremented if a new version is
incompatible with older versions due to client-server protocol changes.
• Incompatible versions are not installed as an upgrade, but require a new install
operation.
1 Login to the system with the iray Linux account and run the yum package management
utility.
sudo yum check-update "nvidia*"
2 To upgrade your complete installation, run:
sudo yum upgrade "nvidia*"
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3 To upgrade a particular package, replace nvidia* with the selected package name.
5.4.3
Installing new software packages
1 To get a list of all software packages in the repository, see http://pkg.nvidia-arc.com.
When a software package is updated:
• The new version is added to the repository.
• The old version is still downloadable from the repository.
2 To get a list of new software packages, if any, run:
sudo yum --disablerepo="*local*" list "nvidia*"
When you run the yum list installed command, the most recently installed version
of a software package is displayed in the list.
Although old versions of the software package are not displayed in the list, they are
still downloadable from the repository. For example, if you install the VCA Manager
from the repository server, the existing installation is overwritten. However, you can
still download older versions of the software packages from the repository.
3 To select and install a new package, run:
sudo yum --disablerepo="*local*" install name-of-the-selected-nvidia-package
5.5
Iray Queue Manager setup
Iray Queue Manager is an Iray-based, multi-user application for remote batch rendering on
the VCA. The browser-based user interface enables you to reserve nodes for rendering, manage the render queue, download rendering results, and configure Iray Queue Manager to suit
your requirements.
The following sections describe how to install Iray Queue Manager on the VCA, initialize a
batch render queue, and use Iray Queue Manager to manage the render queue.
5.5.1
Installing Iray Queue Manager
Note: You need to install or upgrade Iray Queue Manager on one VCA only.
To install Iray Queue Manager:
1 Ensure that the latest version of VCA Manager is installed. If you are upgrading Iray
Queue Manager, ensure that Iray Queue Manager is not running.
2 At the command line, enter:
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sudo yum –disablerepo="*local*" install "nvidia-vca-iray-server*"
The latest version of Iray Queue Manager is installed.
3 From the VCA Manager home page, click the link Go to Queue, which is near the top
of the page.
The Queue page for Iray Queue Manager is displayed. On the left side of the Queue
page is the navigation panel; the displayed list of page links is determined by your
login status: system administrator or VCA user.
5.5.2
Starting the queue
To start the queue in Iray Queue Manager:
1 Log in as the Iray Queue Manager administrator.
The user ID and password are admin.
2 From the navigation panel on the left, click Settings.
The Settings page is displayed.
3 From the Settings page, go to the Resources section. It is recommended that you log in
as Iray Queue Manager administrator. The user ID and password are admin.
Note: If you do not want to log in as Iray Queue Manager administrator, create a
new account in the VCA Manager and use this new user ID and password to log in.
When a connection to the VCA is established, a confirmation message is displayed in
the top right corner of the page. In the following steps, you select VCA nodes and start
the queue for Iray Queue Manager.
4 From the navigation panel on the left, click Queue.
The Queue page is displayed.
5 From the Queue page, click Start Queue.
The Reserve Cluster dialog is displayed.
6 In the Reserve Cluster dialog, check how many VCA nodes are currently available for
your use. Specify the number of VCA nodes that you want to reserve and click the
Reserve button.
The Reserving Cluster button is activated. When your reservation is successful, the
Stop Queue button is displayed; the queue is active and ready to render submitted
jobs.
5.5.3
Stopping the queue
To stop the queue in Iray Queue Manager:
1 Login as the Iray Queue Manager administrator.
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The user ID and password are admin.
2 From the navigation panel on the left, click Queue.
The Queue page is displayed.
3 From the Queue page, click Stop Queue.
The Start Queue button is displayed. The queue is no longer active.
5.5.4
Using Iray Queue Manager
To use Iray Queue Manager:
1 After you have started the queue for Iray Queue Manager, logout as Iray Queue Manager
administrator.
2 Login using your VCA user ID and password.
After Iray Queue Manager is started, you can submit a job using one of the companion
Iray plugins. When a job is successfully submitted it is displayed on the Queue render
page under the heading Jobs. With certain limitations, you can change the order of your
jobs in the render queue by dragging and dropping the + icon.
Two tabular reports are displayed on the Queue page:
• Queue report: Administrators and users get a complete list of jobs in the render
queue.
• Done report: Administrators get a complete list of rendered jobs. Each user gets a
custom report listing their rendered jobs only.
You can view and download rendered images from the Results page.
For more information about the purpose and use of the various pages, see the Iray
Server documentation.
5.6
Factory reset
To reset Quadro VCAs to the initial factory settings, perform the following steps:
1 Create a bootable thumb drive that contains a factory reset image.
2 Reset the hard drives to the initial factory settings by using the bootable thumb drive.
Note:
• When you reset the hard drives, all data is lost and the internal SSD drives are
completely overwritten.
• BIOS settings are not reset. If the IPMI network was configured to a static IP
address, that value remains unchanged after the factory reset procedure is
completed.
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5.6.1
5.6 Factory reset
Creating a bootable thumb drive
Prerequisites:
• An ISO image file. Contact your reseller for more information.
• A Windows PC (XP/Vista/7/8) connected to the Internet
• A thumb drive with at least 16GB of memory and formatted in FAT32. The thumb drive
will be completely overwritten so backup any files you want to keep.
To create a bootable thumb drive that contains a factory reset image, perform the following
steps:
1 Ensure that you have an ISO image file. If you do not have this file, contact your reseller.
2 From a Windows PC (XP/Vista/7/8) connected to the Internet: Download USB Universal Installer (UUI), version 1.9.4.8 or later, from
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/universal-usb-installer-easy-as-1-2-3/ (1MB).
3 Insert a thumb drive (minimum 16GB) into the Windows PC. Click on Start > Computer
to verify the drive letter of the thumb drive.
Note:
3.1 Ensure that the thumb drive is formatted in FAT32.
3.2 Backup any important files on the thumb drive before you continue. The
thumb drive will be completely overwritten.
4 Launch the Universal-USB-Installer executable (version 1.9.4.8 or later). From the Universal USB Installer Setup dialog, perform the following steps:
4.1 From the Step 1 pull-down menu, select Try Unlisted Linux ISO.
4.2 Under Step 2, click Browse and locate the iray_install.YYYYMMDD.iso image.
4.3 From the Step 3 pull-down menu, select the target USB device.
Note:
4.3.1 Ensure the drive letter matches that of your thumb drive.
4.3.2 Check the Format checkbox if your thumb drive needs reformatting.
4.4 Click Create to write the ISO image to your thumb drive.
5 After the message "Installation Done, Process Complete" is displayed in the output window, remove the thumb drive from the Windows PC.
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5.6.2
5 Software installation
Resetting the hard drives to the factory settings
Prerequisite: A bootable thumb drive that contains a factory reset image.
To reset hard drives to the factory settings, perform the following steps:
1 Shut down the Quadro VCA cluster.
From the top-right settings menu of the VCA Manager Web interface, select Shutdown
VCA Managers. Confirm shutdown.
2 For each node in the cluster, repeat the following steps:
2.1 Power down the Quadro VCA system using one of the following methods:
• From IPMI web interface (if so configured):
From the System Summary main page, click the Power Down option.
• From local console or via ssh terminal:
2.1.1 Login to the VCA where username/password is iray/Nvidia-Arc
2.1.2 At the command line, enter: shutdown -P now
• Press the front power button
2.2 On the back of the Quadro VCA, insert the bootable thumb drive, which contains
the factory reset image, into an available USB port.
2.3 Power up the Quadro VCA.
Note: Ensure you are near the console and keyboard, or IPMI interface,
connected to the Quadro VCA node being reset.
2.4 As soon as the NVIDIA Logo screen is displayed, press F11 to invoke the Boot
menu.
2.5 From the Boot menu, select PMAP, which is the factory reset thumb drive.
Wait while the system boots from this USB device.
2.6 At the NVIDIA Logo screen, press Enter to install the Quadro VCA system software.
2.7 After the IRAY-SERVER login: prompt is displayed, remove the thumb drive.
2.8 For each Quadro VCA node in the cluster, repeat steps 2.1 to 2.7.
5.7
5.7.1
Installing third-party software
Overview
To connect third-party software for use with the VCA Manager, perform the following steps:
1 Install the software under the Iray account to avoid permission problems.
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5.7 Installing third-party software
2 Create a run script and copy it into /home/iray/cm/satellite. For more information,
refer to "Setting up a third-party run script" (page 24).
3 Add the run script to the VCA Manager database, which stores all persistent information. For more information, refer to "Updating the VCA Manager database" (page
24).
5.7.2
Setting up a third-party run script
The following example is a simple run script for third-party software:
#!/bin/bash
trap ’killall -9 third-party-process’ EXIT
sh -c "third-party-process $1 $2 $3 $4 $5"
From the VCA Manager, a run script can get the following arguments:
Argument
Description
$1
Unique multicast address for an allocated cluster
$2
Data connection port
$3
Head node IP address to which the client connects
$4
Head node (0,1)
$5
Size of the allocated cluster
Note: The value of third-party-process must be the binary that keeps running, not a shell
script starting the binary process.
5.7.3
Updating the VCA Manager database
The VCA Manager uses an SQLite database. The following example shows how to add a
third-party run script to this database:
cd /home/iray/cm
sqlite -line cluster_manager.db \
"insert into scripts values(null,"Description Text", \
"/home/iray/cm/satellite_run_thirdparty",null,null");
For a VCA cluster, the third-party run script has to be added to all nodes since scripts are not
automatically syncronized between the nodes.
Note: For third-party software, the VCA Manager icon does not switch from yellow to
green.
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5.8
5.8.1
5 Software installation
Testing the installation
VCA Manager tests
To test the installation:
1 Connect a browser to the VCA’s IP address.
In the browser’s address input window, enter:
https://VCA-IP-address
(using the IP address or hostname of your VCA).
2 Accept certificate warning.
3 Login to the VCA Manager.
User Name: admin
Password: admin
VCA Manager Login window
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4 Reserve all available nodes.
Change the number of nodes to the maximum number available and click Reserve.
VCA Manager Overview window
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5 Check if the cluster startup was successful.
Click on "My Visual Computing Cluster". Cluster reservation is successful if the color
of the cluster icons turns from yellow to dark green.
Quadro VCAs reserved
Quadro VCAs ready
6 Test InfiniBand functionality. From the VCA Manager menu, select Test RDMA Connection
7 Test Iray Rendering. From the VCA Manager menu, select Test Rendering The test succeeded if an image appears after about 2 minutes.
The Quadro VCA is now ready for connection from any remote Iray client software.
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5.8.2
5.8 Testing the installation
Troubleshooting
If you are not able to connect from the remote client application to the Quadro VCA, perform
the following steps:
1 Check that the firewall on both the client and server sides have ports 11000, 443 and
9090 unblocked. If necessary, check with your network system administrator on how to
unblock these ports.
2 If all ports are unblocked and the application can still not connect, follow these steps:
2.1 Login as user iray on the Quadro VCA and check if Iray has started by searching
for the string remote_server in the list of running processes:
ps -ef | grep remote_server
2.2 If that process is not running, check the logfile /home/iray/cm/cluster-manager.log
on the reserved node.
2.3 If the log entries in /home/iray/cm/cluster-manager.log indicate multicast
traffic problems, contact the network administrator. It is possible that multicast
traffic may have been disabled on the local Ethernet switch. Also check the default
route on the system.
3 Check if the VCA nodes can ping each other on the Ethernet interfaces. If this does not
produce in a live connection, check the default route on your Quadro VCA.
4 It must be possible to confirm a network connection using ping to all VCA nodes. If
this is not possible, check the connections of the InfiniBand cables.
5 To stop, start or restart Iray or the VCA Manager manually, run the following shell
commands on all VCA nodes:
/home/iray/cm/nvvca-cm [-s] start [-k] stop [-r] restart
6 Check if the processes cluster_manager and nodemgr_listener are running
7 To contact the Quadro VCA support team, send email to: [email protected]
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6
Warranty and licensing
Hardware warranty and software licensing:
• NVIDIA limited hardware warranty — VCA:
http://www.nvidia.com/vca/hw-warranty
• NVIDIA VCA software end user license agreement:
http://www.nvidia.com/vca/eula
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